Improvement in revolving fire-arms



S. W. WOOD. 1

Revolver.

Patented. Mar. 1, 1864.

WW v

N PETERS, PHOTO Ll'n-IDGR NITED STATES PATENT S. W. WOOD, OF CORNWALL, NEW YORK.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 41,803, dated March 1, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, S. 'W. VVooD, of Comwall, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Fire- Arm; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification- Figure 1 being a side view of a pistol provided with my improvements, the revolving cylinder being in section; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section of the cylinder; Fig. 3, a central longitudinal section of an improved cartridge adapted to this arm; Fig. 4, a central longitudinal section ol'the cartridge-case; Fig. 5, a side view of the bullet used in the car- I tridge; Fig. 6, an end view of the bullet, show ing the notches communicating with the powder in the rear of the bullet; Fig. 7, a central longitudinal section of a cylinder entirely closed at its rear end, adapted to receiving a cartridge with a non-metallic case; Fig.8, a non-metallic-case cartridge carrying its own fulminate, to be used in my improved cylinder.

Like letters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

I employ an improved revolving cylinder, B, for the purpose of using metallic or nonmetallic'case cartridges containing their own fulminate, and to beloaded into the front end of the cylinder. The chambers 11 I) do not extend through the cylinder, but may have small apertures dd extending from their rear ends back through the cylinder, (see Fig. 2,) to allow the insertion ofa small rod for expelling the empty cartridge-casesafterbeingdischarged. When non-metallic cartridges are used the rear end of the cylinder will be closed, as in Fig. 7. In the sides of the cylinder, nearer to the front than to the rear end thereof, or in a proper position for the purpose intended, as hereinafter set forth, is a set of apertures, ff, opening respcctively into the chamber 1) b of the cylinder.

These apertures admitthe point of a hammer or an intermediate hammer-dog into the chambers, so as to strike upon the sides of the cartridge-cases and make a suitable indentation therein to explode the fulminate. The case of the cartridge G, to be used in connection with this improved cylinder, preferaby, though not necessarily, extends the whole length of the chamber and of thesimple form of the chamher. It has no fulminate in its rear end; but the bullet H has an annular groove, *5, Heat its rear end, substantially as shown, in which the fulminate 0 is placed. From this groove small notches or openings m lead back into the powderchamber behind, so as to communicate the tire of the fulminate freely to the powder. The

fulminate groovet' in the ball is so situated in the cartridge-case and the cartridge is so arranged in the chamber of theeylinder that the end or front of the hammer shall strike the cartridge-case directly over the fulminate and thereby explode it. Thus all flanges for receiving the'fulmina'e are di pensed with, and the whole construction of both cyIinch-r and cartridge is reduced to its utmost simplicity.

There may be a strengtherring-disk, I, placed in the bottom or rear end of the cartridge-case, to guard against ,the force of the explosion blowing through the ease into the aperture 01 at the rear end of the cylinder.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Lette rs Patent, is

The employment of apertures in the periphery of the cylinder, in front 0! the bottom of its chambers, leading respectively into the same, so as to admit'the hammer to strike against the sides of the primed cartridges and explode them, substantially as described.

S. \V. WOOD.

Witnesses:

J. S. BROWN, 1. E. WILSON. 

